Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

To build Australia's future there's nothing more important than education and nothing more important than a Labor government to deliver equity and access to that education. That's what Labor governments are about, and that's what the Albanese Labor government is about. Post-school education is critically important, and we're going to need our young people to commit to post-school education more and more as we move across the next decade. That's why a re-elected Labor government's commitment to reduce HECS debt by 20 per cent and lock in fee-free TAFE for 100,000 places a year is so important. This will build Australia. This will give our young people the opportunity to build their capacity to take up the positions we need them to take up. It will also help, undoubtedly, with the cost of living. It will help young people reduce their debt to allow them to get into that rental market or to buy a home. These are important things. It will allow young people the opportunity to access fee-free TAFE so that they can get the jobs of the future and join other people in aged care, in child care, in building and construction and in an apprenticeship. These are important initiatives, and only a re-elected Labor government will deliver them.

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